Utah Becomes 27th State to Adopt Interior Design Legislation

Contributor

Earlier this year, both ASID and IIDA broke the news that the state of Utah had officially adopted legislation that formally recognizes commercial interior designers. Utah Senate Bill 117 represents a legal victory that creates certification for commercial interior designers and will allow them to submit their documents for building permits.

The effort, led by lobbyist Amy Coombs, senior partner at Prestige Government Relations and Consulting Group, has been a two-year process championed by key industry partners, including ASID, IIDA, Interior Design and Education for Legislation (IDEAL) for Utah, and the IIDA Intermountain Chapter.

“The unwavering support, constant collaboration, and sharing of advocacy resources and ideas among IIDA Headquarters, the IIDA Intermountain Chapter, and IDEAL for Utah, has undoubtedly led to the successful outcome of this first step toward interior design legislation in Utah,” said Emily Kluczynski, MPPA, director of Advocacy, Public Policy, and Legislation at IIDA. “We are thrilled for all commercial interior designers in Utah as this is an important first step toward allowing them to practice to the fullest of their abilities.”

ASID’s CEO Randy Fiser echoed those comments, saying, “Across America, interior designers have much reason to celebrate. Due to the hard work and dedication of Utah’s interior design community, there has been a great victory for the profession.”

As a result, commercial interior designers will not be mandated to work under other members of the design team, such as architects, and instead practice independently within their scope of work. Consequently, this will lead to more opportunities for interior design businesses to grow, thereby creating a means to open their doors for new employees wanting to practice design.

Although the passage of the Utah Senate Bill 117 is a major victory, there’s much work left to be done in the national battle for interior design legislation. Added Fiser: “This bill is a winning testament to securing just one basic right of interior designers. We have many more to go before we can declare a total victory for the profession.”